Detective Pikachu gives us a peek into the world of Pokemon… and a trip down memory lane

As a child, I remember making sure that my evenings were free. I used to delay doing my homework and avoided going out of the house so that I had the evening all to myself without any disturbances. This was because I wanted to watch Pokemon without any distractions. Watching Ash and his sidekick Pikachu go on exciting adventures while encountering rare Pokemon was an unforgettable experience. Apart from watching them onscreen, I used to play Pokemon games on my Gameboy Advance.

Like any other fan, I too wondered what it would be like if Pokemon were to live amongst us and what they would look like in real life. Those long years of wondering have finally come to an end as the first ever live action film based on the Pokemon franchise will soon hit theatres. The trailer was released earlier this week and I couldn’t contain my excitement.

Photo: Screenshot

The movie is titled Detective Pikachu and it is an American-Japanese joint venture based on the 2016 videogame of the same name. The trailer opens with Pokemon walking amongst actual humans and that really blew my mind. Not only because I had wished to watch such a thing since childhood, but also because the Pokemon looked pretty good.

Photo: IMDb

The plot of the movie revolves around Tim, played by Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), whose father has mysteriously gone missing. Tim teams up with his father’s former partner, Pikachu, who is voiced by the talented Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and is quite the detective (according to Pikachu himself). Together they try to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Tim’s father.

What makes this adaptation stand out other than it being the first live action Pokemon movie is the fact that Pikachu can actually talk, and by talk I don’t mean repeating “Pika Pika” over and over again, but actually talking. However, only Tim understands what Pikachu says while other people can only hear “Pika Pika”.

Photo: Screenshot

Photo: IMDb

This whole camaraderie between Tim and Pikachu is what makes the movie interesting. Pikachu also assures Tim that he will use his detective skills to help Tim find his father. Adding Pokemon and detective ingredients to the mix makes the movie quite an intriguing one to say the least. Not just that, but we also get to watch some of our favourite Pokemon on the big screen looking extremely realistic. We get a glimpse of Bulbasaur, Venusaur, Charmander, Charizard, Jigglypuff, Psyduck, Mr Mime and many more.

Photo: IMDb

Some people have criticised the CGI used to bring Pokemon to life on the big screen for being too realistic and some even claimed that the real life Pokemon creeped them out. For years, fans have wanted to see real Pokemon but now they want the Pokemon to look like their old, animated versions? Some people also have issues with the furry look of Pikachu and Jigglypuff. Maybe they wanted them to look like porcelain dolls – all shiny and smooth.

Don’t let these statements stop you from rejoicing and enjoying the movie when it releases. Pikachu’s cuteness can never be questioned; I am amazed how some fans actually stooped that low.

Photo: IMDb

Detective Pikachu looks extremely fun and Reynolds surely has a huge hand in that. His voiceover is spot on and Pikachu really shines because of him. It is basically Deadpool playing Pikachu but without the curse words and abuses since this is a PG affair.

I can’t wait to take my younger siblings to watch a movie that we have immensely waited for. I will definitely be taking out another evening and getting rid of all the distractions to experience this movie and you should too. Not only does the trailer promise a good plot and lovable characters, it also lets us take a peek into the world of our favourite Pokemon.